Golden Rockets’ Turner commits to University of Victoria

Golden Rockets’ captain Dominic Turner has committed to play for the University of Victoria Vikes of the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League.

Turner, who hails from Calgary, Alta., had interest from other college teams, but in the end, the Vikes made the most sense to him and his hockey career.

Heading to the island was a good fit for Turner, who has contacts and friends in the area. He has visited Victoria in the past and enjoys the city, stating he feels that settling in there will be good for his personal-being.

While playing for the Vikes, he will study humanities then narrow his focus. Turner hopes that his style of play can help the team find success in the future.

“I like to play like a power forward, getting in front of the net, putting in the greasy goals. I also like looking for teammates,” said Turner. “Give them better looks, than I possibly have. I like battling in the corners as well. I like the physical play along with the skill play.”

It was Turner’s skill sets that alerted Vikes head coach-general manager Harry Schamhart to the former Rockets’ captain. In 74 career regular-season games, Turner scored 54 times.

“It’s something we have been lacking,” said Schamhart, who feels Turner can set an example. “That was one of the things we wanted him to come to UVic.

“It’s hard to teach goal scoring at levels,” he continued. “They will continue to score.”

Turner’s final season in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) was a tough one for the 20-year-old, starting on the bench as he battled illness and injury which kept him off the ice for the first half of the season

However, after Christmas and heading into the second-half stretch, Turner found his footing and felt like he was returning to form from the prior season, finding more consistency to his game.

Despite his early-season struggles, he finished the season with 16 goals and 12 assists for 28 points in just 31 games.

“Things happen you don’t think are going to end up happening,” said Turner, who is excited to be joining the Vikes.

Turner said playing in the KIJHL prepared him to make the jump to the BCIHL, as he faced older and bigger players. This helped him get stronger and improve his hockey IQ compared to his minor hockey days.

Listed at six-foot-one, 165 pounds, Turner explained he has pretty good speed for his size. He can also take hits and has some finesse in his toolbox.

“My hands decide to do something fancy and it pays off,” he said.

What excites Turner about this opportunity is that he can keep playing the game and get his education at the same time.